The main line, known as the Big Inch, stretched approximately 1,254 miles from Longview, Texas, to refineries near Philadelphia. A second line, the Little Big Inch, was soon built to carry refined products like gasoline and diesel in support of the Allied war effort. The combined cost of building both pipelines reached $146 million. Approved by the War Production Board on June 10, 1942, construction moved quickly. Illinois became the first stop along the route and received its first oil on February 13, 1943.